10 places I want to go before I die

Ten Places I want to go before I die (which better not be anytime soon! haha) ...

1) Pompeii, Italy
Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Mt Vesuvius have always had a special hold on me. I'm not quite sure why but from the first time I ever heard about these Italian cities that were destroyed and frozen in time, I have wanted to go there and see them. I can imagine the wonder, thinking that the Gods were talking, and then the fear as a dark cloud covered the sky then hot gas and ash covered the town and anyone who was left.


2) Athens, Greece
Ancient Greek city-state of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. Birthplace of democracy and higher learning. Why wouldn't I, a teacher, want to go?


3) Rome, Italy
Again, Ancient Romans, gladiators, history...sign me up!


4) Alaska (to see the Aurora Borealis)
The beauty of these lights just amaze me. Being a native Floridian, the idea of Alaska seems like going to a foreign country anyway, but then you tell me that lights dance in the sky? That I have to see!


5)The Great Wall of China
From my (all too short) time in Japan, I have decided I definitely want to go back to Asia. I can imagine that the Great Wall, like the Grand Canyon, is one of those things that you can't really appreciate how large it is until you are standing on it.

6) Victoria Falls (Africa)
One of the reading fluency tests I have to give my students includes a passage about Victoria Falls. It got me interested and being the nerd I am, I had to look it up. It is HUGE! Plus, in certain times of the year there is a place called the Devil's Pool where you can actually swim on the edge of the falls. The flow of the falls is slower and the "pool" has a ledge where you can actually swim in the deeper water of the pool and look over the falls! How cool is that!?!


7) The Tower of London
OK, this one just stems from my love of all things King Henry VIII! He was constantly throwing people in the Tower (mainly his wives haha) and the stories of the ghosts that roam the area.... it's just too much for me to resist!



8) The Pyramids of Giza
Like the Great Wall, this is one of those things I can imagine makes you feel very small. Just to imagine how much work was involved in the planning and building of these ancient burials is mind-boggling. Without the technology of today it is hard to imagine how they did it...oh, I know...slave labor.

9) Paris
Yes, Paris, the city of LOVE :) Just looking at the Eiffel Tower makes my heart flutter a little haha! A friend of mine went to Paris last summer, again over Spring Break, and is planning to go again this summer...I am so jealous! Her pictures and stories have convinced me that this is one of the places I just have to see. It wasn't really on my list until talking with her about her travels.


10) Mad King Ludwig's Castle (Neuschwanstein Castle), Germany
It's Cinderella's Castle! OK, so the jury is still out about if Ludwig really was mad or if he was just the product of a royal framing...but either way he was an interesting guy, and had great taste in architechure!

Why I'm a Daddy's Girl

While spending a couple of days with Daddy, I needed to take him to the hospital for his blood work. While we were there, a "hospital friend" of his showed up. These two, who met here at the Cancer Center, have similar diagnosis and are both disabled vets. Apparently, my dad has helped this man by doing a little research and then giving him some financial advice that has helped him to pay his high medical bills. I've always said that my dad would talk to anyone and make friends with a brick wall, but he likes helping people out too. I'm proud to say that my dad is the kind of guy who will go out of his way to help a stranger, even when he has his own troubles. That's some pretty big shoes to fill, hope I'm up to it!